SEND mum blasts council leaders as 'bent, weak cowards' (2025)

Bristol city councillors agreed to an independent probe in 2022

A mum of children with special educational needs has blasted Bristol City Council leaders as “bent, weak cowards” for failing to launch a long-promised independent inquiry into the SEND “spying” scandal.

Back in 2022, a majority of councillors voted in favour of an investigation into how the authority’s officers monitored the social media of SEND parents.

Calls for an inquiry followed leaked emails earlier that year revealing how council staff collected and shared a dossier of posts critical of the organisation, cross-referencing anonymous Twitter accounts with private Facebook wedding photos.

But despite a vote at full council to approve a Conservative motion calling on then-Labour mayor Marvin Rees to agree to an external probe, this has never happened.

Now Jen Smith, one of the mothers whose social media was monitored, has launched a withering attack on City Hall chiefs, including directly to the leader, Cllr Tony Dyer (Green, Southville).

In a question submitted to the strategy and resources committee on Monday, April 14, Ms Smith asked why no full investigation had taken place.

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In a written reply, the council said: “The motion in October 2022 called upon the mayor to agree to hold an independent inquiry.

“The mayor is no longer in office and agreement in relation to this was not reached during his term.”

The mum told the meeting: “I don’t think it’s a constitutional answer – I think it’s fairly outrageous.

“So, especially considering that some councillors in here electioneered on SEND and called for an independent investigation, my question is are you now being cowardly or just totally bent?”

Cllr Dyer replied: “The answer to both of those is neither.

“What the answer pointed out was that the request that went through was for the mayor to review.

“What we can now do is to look at whether as a new administration we want to set up our own independent investigation and I will discuss that with the policy chair on the children and young people committee and officers as well.”

The policy chair is Cllr Dyer’s fellow Green Southville ward councillor Christine Townsend who previously welcomed the vote at full council to hold an inquiry when the party was in opposition.

Ms Smith told Monday’s committee that the answers she received showed that the local authority would tackle only the disability issues that gave them “maximum PR with minimum reputational damage”.

She said the council was taking away transport for vulnerable pupils and putting them in dangerous situations, as well as limiting options for their education.

Ms Smith told members: “This council has cut the ability for SEND young people to get to their placements.”

Referring to an update report to the meeting on a motion agreed at full council last October to make Bristol the most accessible city, she said: “You are talking about equity for disabled people including proactively removing barriers and yet you continue to block access to education.

“Additionally this is a very safe motion, which is why it has progressed.

“But this council, including its leadership, is protecting officers who have targeted SEND parents and spied on them.

“Even now, nearly three years later, this council persists in covering up the fact its officers, including those at executive director level, spied on Bristol residents.

“This disgraceful cover-up remains unchallenged by the weak men presiding over it, men who are bent, weak cowards and you totally disgrace Bristol.

“That goes to you too, Tony Dyer.”

An internal report into the “spying” scandal concluded there was “no systematic monitoring”, but was slammed as a whitewash.